Mark Hansen of Bricoleur Vineyards
Our speaker for December 3, 2020, was Mark Hansen, co-owner of Bricoleur Vineyards on Starr Road in Windsor. Mark’s topic: “How I Went from Tech to Owning a Vineyard.” Mark is a native Santa Rosan who spent is working career in sales and management in the Silicon Valley, including growing four start-up software companies. Mark’s wife, Elizabeth, a native San Franciscan, spent many of her summers as a child at her family’s vineyard north of Cloverdale, developing a love of both Sonoma County and vineyards. Seven years ago Mark and Elizabeth bought their 40-acre vineyard on the south end of Starr Road. It is a working vineyard with 20 acres of grapes.
Their vision was to develop the vineyard property into a premier corporate and charity event center. Mark, Elizabeth, and their daughter and partner, Sara, turned a 12,000 square foot barn on the property into a fully functioning winery barn, complete with a restaurant-style kitchen and space for 250 people. Their Grand Opening was set for the first Saturday of May 2020 but was interrupted by COVID-19! The plan was to hold charity auctions, wine tastings, weddings, anniversaries, banquets, corporate meetings, and other events, but they, like many of us, have had to scramble to keep the doors open. They developed an active social media presence (thanks largely to Sara, an e-commerce specialist) and now hold many virtual events, including virtual tastings, happy hours, holiday parties, cooking lessons, and take-out food and wine. The Bricoleur site also has lots of outdoor space and facilities for outdoor events, which they have been holding regularly. They will be hosting an auction and tasting for the San Francisco Symphony this week!
They also began making their own wine in 2017. They use grapes from their own vineyard and from other Sonoma County vineyards, including Kick Vineyards and two Russian River vineyards. They are currently making 15 varietals, including Rose of Grenache, Rose of Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, and “Flying by the Seat of Our Pants” Brut! Mark says that Bricoleur has put a new meaning to “farm to table.” Bricoleur is “plant to plate,” that is, they grow many of their own vegetables (in 28 raised beds), olive trees, chickens, and bees. They have also brought in a world-class chef and experienced winemakers.
Mark told an interesting story about how they came up with the name “Bricoleur.” Sara and her husband found the name in a dictionary of hard-to-translate names. “Bricoleur” apparently means “someone who has no plans,” which they thought perfectly captured Mark’s vineyard enterprise! Mark, however, seems to take it as a compliment, because you have to change, evolve, and keep moving to stay ahead!
Bricoleur has regular outdoor tastings from Thursday through Monday each week. They also serve food, including wood fire pizzas and sandwiches. The property is so large you can order your food and find a place for a picnic on the grounds. They also started a highly successful cooking instruction show, “Quarantine Kitchen,” at the beginning of the pandemic. They have re-started the program as “Cooking with Country” on specified Sunday nights.
Many thanks to Mark on his presentation. An amazing story and hopefully a fixture in Sonoma County for years to come.
